One or more aspects relate, in general, to computing networks, and in particular, to isolating the sources of faults or potential faults within computing networks.
A computing network allows devices, such as computers, to exchange data and share resources. It includes various components, such as switches that connect devices to one another and links that interconnect the switches. There are different types of computing networks, including, but not limited to, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and storage area networks (SANs), to name a few. There are also various networking technologies, including, for instance, Fibre Channel, Ethernet and InfiniBand, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Some networking technologies, such as Fibre Channel, Ethernet and InfiniBand, use optical interfaces. At higher speeds on such interfaces, the links are very sensitive to data transmission errors. The sources of these errors, however, are not always immediately apparent. There may be a variety of causes that are difficult to diagnose and often require human intervention to determine.